Vacuum cleaner nozzle



0. L. ALLEN VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE June 17, 1958 Filed Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v Tic .2...

INVENTOR OLIVER L. QLLEA BY% M June 17, 1958 o. ALLEN 2,838,783

VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE Filed Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 TJ C A. v

INVENTOR 5Z6/ l 40 Ouvse LQLLEN ATTO RNEY June 17; 1958 o. L. ALLEN 2,838,783

VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE Fild Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR 0L lvse L flLLE/v VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE Oliver L. Allen, Riverside, Conn., assignor to Electrolux Corporation, Old Greenwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application January 14, 1955, Serial No. 481,793 '2 Claims. ((11. 15-417 This invention relates to the art of vacuum or suction cleaner operation and .especially to a multi-purpose nozzle or cleaning tool which may be selectively adapted for use on various kinds of pile, fabric or similar floor coverings or alternatively on linoleum or even on plain hard surfaces such as wood.

Heretofore, wand manipulated nozzles for air suction cleaners have necessitated at least two totally difierent and mutually replaceable nozzles for use on such distinctively difierent surfaces as pile rugs and hard wood or similar plain surfaces.

More particularly, this invention embodiesa combination rug nozzle and floor brush. Preferably, such a tool should be as low as possible in order to effect ready accessibility therewith under low furniture, beds, sofas, chairs and the like. Numerous swivel type nozzles and atent combination swivel mountings have heretofore been devised. However, such tools have almost invariably been excessively high in cross-sectional dimension and when one member thereof is a floor brush an unduly high nozzle member has been necessary.

In accordance with this invention an exceptionally appropriate shape and combination of nozzle structure are possible all without reducing the cross-section of the air suction conduit member. This is effected by making a nozzle which is relatively flat or at most wedge shaped and hence capable of ready access beneath low furniture, chairs and the like.

Furthermore this tool is so constructed that a valve member, comprising a spring biased member mounted internally of the nozzle, facilitates the ready change-over from one type of nozzle to another type of nozzle without removal of the tool from the suction conduit.

Still another object is to provide a readily interchangeable combination floor and rug cleaning .nozzle which by inversion and resetting of certain of its elements may be quickly adapted for continued use andfor various and sundry cleaning purposes. i

It is a further object of this invention to provide a single cleaning tool for a vacuum cleaner which tool may be selectively used as a rug cleaning nozzle, or as a brush type nozzle specifically designed for cleaning a plain, hard surface such as linoleum or a wooden floor. 1

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a new and improved surface cleaning tool.

Another object is to provide a cleaning tool having a floor or a rug cleaning nozzle which is selectively operable with respect to the surface being cleaned without necessitating removal of the cleaning tool from its afiixed position on the wand.

Further objects and still other advantages of this invention will become apparent upon considering the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a top plan View of a preferred embodiment of the nozzle of this invention showing the cleaning tool with its ru-g nozzle in operative position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the spring biased valve structure in upwardly biased position;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the nozzle of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4- of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a side plan View looking in the direction 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line. 66 of Fig. 2, showing the rug nozzle in operating condition;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3, showing the floor brush in operating condition;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 2; and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on a line corresponding to that of Fig. 6, but showing a modified form utilizing a push button instead of the lever arm of Fig. 6.

In accordance with this invention, the cleaning tool comprises a main nozzle member formed with dissimilar suction nozzles on different angularly disposed faces of the member, which member is made up of two closely fitting pieces having a valve structure mounted therein to selectively connect either nozzle to a suction conduit in the neck of the cleaning tool. The nozzle portions are connected by separate passageways leading through the main nozzle member to the common suction conduit in the neck. The valve structure itself comprises a spring loaded snap action member at the common suction conduit which valve structure is selectively positionable for communicating the flow of a suction air stream to either one of the separate nozzle openings. A main connector elbow, preferably swivel mounted and in communication with the suction conduit of the valve structure, serves to effect ready attachment of the tool to a wand or vacuum cleaner suction hose.

Either one of the rug or floor cleaning nozzles may be readily placed in operative position on the supporting wand by simply turning the nozzle member on its rotatable Y mounting through 180 and actuating the snap action valve member as described in more detail below. In the embodiment illustrated, a floor brush nozzle forms one cleaning member while a rug cleaning nozzle forms another cleaning member. However, various other purposeful cleaning members may be put into similar selective combination with each other to make up the main nozzle member.

Referring now with greater detail to the drawings, reference character 10 designates in general the body meniber of a cleaning tool different faces of which have formed thereon a floor brush nozzle 12 and a'rug nozzle 14. The tool 10 comprises a number of individual parts among which is an upper die casting or plastic casting 17, Fig. 2, and a lower die casting or plastic casting 18, Fig. 2, held together by screws 19. The brush nozzle 12 is formed by having secured to the upper face of casting 17, Fig. 2, a metal stamping 20 provided with a centrally disposed throat or aperture 22 and secured to the casting 17 by screws 24.

The brush elements in the form of strips of bristles 32 are held securely in channels 26 formed longitudinally or lengthwise along the edges of stamping 20, Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9. Channels 26 fit securely in grooves 28 formed in casting 17. Thus, the fioor brush portion of the cleaning tool is made up of stamping 20 together with the strips of bristles 32.

The adjoining face 14 of casting 18 includes elements making up the rug nozzle. In addition to the conventional lips, ribbed portions and the like, the rug nozzle 14 comprises a rod 40, cylindrical in shape, having teeth 41 formed on one side thereof, and being held in place by means of pads 44, Figs. 2 and 3.

Each nozzle has its common connecting suction passageway 50 in casting 16. Thus the floor brush 12 has an opening or throat 22, Figs. 1 and 2, which by shifting 7 valve 89 can be connected directly to passageway 50, Figs. 2 and 8, formed within the tubular portion 16 upon superposing the necks 17a and 18a of castings 17 and 18, respectively.

The rug nozzle 14 is provided with a space bounded by lips 46 and 46 leading to an opening or throat 60, Fig. 6 which is shown connected directly in Fig. 6 by valve 89 to oval opening 51 of passageway 59 formed in tubular portion 16.

Valve structure St) is essentially a snap action leaf spring mounted between projections 18c of casting 18, Figs. 2 and 4, and fixedly secured thereon by superposed projections 17c of casting 17. Lever 70 fulcrumed at 72 has a forked end 74 which engages spring 80 in order to selectively position thelatter to have conduit 58 registrable with rug nozzle opening 6% or by turning nozzle 16) through 180 (if a floor brush nozzle is to be used) and pressing lever 7t downward as shown in Fig. 7, one selectively positions spring 36 so that conduit St) is in continuous communication with floor brush opening 22.

The biasing action of spring 8% serves to maintain it 'in its selectively oriented position. An elbow 90 adapted to be connected to an appropriate source of suction by the conventional wand and/ or flexible hose of a conventional vacuum cleaner is swivel mounted by internal grooves 93, Figs. 4 and 8, to tubular portion 16.

In operation, the cleaning tool herein described is readily and easily used to clean all types of surfaces. With the parts in the position shown in Figs. 1 through 6, namely with the rug cleaning nozzle in operative position, suction is seen to be conveyed from the vacuum cleaner unit through elbow 99, the passageway of which cornmunicates with tubular portion 16 byway of passageway 50 which registers through oval opening 51. with opening 60 in the nozzle casting 18 and then to throat or nozzle lips 46 of rug cleaning nozzle 14. In this position, the tool 10 may be used to clean rugs, carpets and similar pile floor coverings. It can be readily pushed underneath low furniture and the elbow 90 can be swiveled 90 in either direction without impairing the suction stream by simply lowering the wand even down to a position parallel with the floor. 1

In order to use the floor brush 12 for cleaning hard wood floors, linoleum and the like, the cleaning tool 1.9 is simply rotated on its swivel neck 99. Rotation of 10 about its axis through 180 and then flexing valve spring 80 upwards brings opening 22, Fig. 4, into communication by way of oval opening 51 with passageway 50 of tubular portion 16. In this position communication of the suction air stream from the vacuum cleaner is established through passageway 50, Figs. 4, 7 and 8 to throat 22 and directly to the floor brush 12.

The modification shown in Fig. 9 is somewhat similar to that described above. Instead of a lever such as 70, Fig. 6, however, a push button 95, Fig. 9, is slidable in a groove 96 and also has a groove 97 cut in its lateral surface for engaging the edge of spring 89 for actuating the latter to either of two selectively desired positions.

With the cleaning tool of this invention it is impossible to partially block or disconnect a cleaning nozzle from the suction air stream during its regular cleaning operation. In addition, the wand may be swung to various angular positions so as to give access to practically every type of space while maintaining a full state of suction in the throat of the cleaning nozzle.

It is to be understood that the preferred embodiments hereinabove described are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of this invention which is to be determined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner tool, a body formed with dissimilar suction nozzles on opposite faces thereof, a passageway leading into said body from each suction nozzle and terminating at a common opening in an intermediate face of said body, a suctionconduit rotatably connected to said opening, whereby said body may be turned about said conduit to bring either of said suction nozzles into operative position on a surface to be cleaned, a flexible valve element comprising a snap action leaf spring having opposite ends substantially fixed with respect to said body and being distortable to have its central portion moved selectively towards either of said suction nozzles to close the passageway leading therefrom, and a member pivoted in said body and having one end engaging said valve element for applying a force to distort said element, the other end of said member extending out of said body to be accessible for manipulation, downward movement of the outwardly extending end serving to distort said element upwardly to close the passageway leading from the upper suction nozzle which is remote from the surface being cleaned.

2. In a vacuum cleaner tool, a body formed with dissimilar suction nozzles on opposite faces thereof, a passageway leading into said body from each suction nozzle and terminating at a common opening in an intermediate face of said body, a suction conduit rotatably connected to said opening, whereby said body may be turned about said conduit to bring either of said suction nozzles into operative position on a surface to be cleaned, a flexible valve element comprising a snap action leaf spring having opposite ends substantially fixed with respect to said body and being 'distortable to have its central portion moved selectively towards either of said suction nozzles to close the passageway leading therefrom, and an operating member for said valve element carried by said body and movable relative thereto and having one end engaging said valve element for applying force to distort said valve element to move the same to a selected position, the other end of said member extending out of said body to be accessible for manipulation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,603,005 Flam Oct. 12, 1926 1,606,355 Fisher Nov. 9, 1926 2,143,845 Edstrom Jan. 17, 1939 2,624,064 Snyder Jan. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 104.536 Sweden May 19. 1942 

